


Second Sight

by AbsintheMadness



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Axel is basically an idiot, Brief hospital stay, Car/Motorcycle Accidents, I went a little wild with a twitter prompt, M/M, Mentions of drugs, Mild Drama, Minor Demyx/Zexion (Kingdom Hearts), Psychic Abilities, Roxas is basically a guardian angel, foul mouths, mentions of Saix and Zexion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26674936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsintheMadness/pseuds/AbsintheMadness
Summary: One drunken night roommates Axel and Demyx decide to call a psychic hotline for the fun of it. Little do they know the guy on the other end actually has an unpredictable ability of premonitions and it's about to change Axel’s life.
Relationships: Axel/Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 41





	1. Listen to Me

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a twitter prompt from the wonderful [SpookiePie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpookiePie)  
> It was put up for grabs, and so I grabbed.

Pizza sat cold and forgotten on the counter, cheese long solidified. Sodas were nearby; the lid left off of the one that was Axel's half-empty bottle. Another bottle sat empty on its side. That one was Demyx’s of course. Axel had abandoned his bottle ages ago for the more favored liquor. Demyx had joined him when his bottle was dry, complaining, but nearly vibrating from the sugar. 

They put on a movie as they always did on Friday nights. Demyx sprawled out across the couch, sitar in his lap as he drunkenly plucked out tunes. Axel laid on the floor, arms folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, singing along the best he could with a grin that wouldn’t go away, even when Demyx complained for the hundredth time that he was singing flat. Axel just flipped the bird and rolled to his side, staring up at the tv, singing as loud and as off-key as he could before dissolving into laughter. 

They fell quiet after that, half watching the movie and drinking more. Demyx had put on some old nonsense movie about a psychic trying to save his girlfriend from a supposed serial killer. 

“This is so stupid,” Axel snorted a laugh. He rolled onto his back again, grabbing his glass from the nearby coffee table and balanced it on his chest. “Psychic powers are bullshit.” 

“You gotta admit it’d be pretty cool.” Demyx had gone back to plucking at his sitar. 

“As if someone could see the future. What about free will and all that shit?” 

Demyx shrugged, his fingers hesitating over the strings before his face lit up. “Hey, that reminds me. I saw an ad for a psychic hotline earlier today. How about we call and find out just how bullshit it is?” 

“Why the hell not? What do we have to lose? Besides our money.” Axel grabbed his glass and pushed himself up, sitting cross-legged against the table. 

Demyx searched for numbers to call that didn’t look godawfully expensive. He punched a number in, hit call, put it on speaker, and dropped the phone onto the table. 

“Good evening,” the almost mystical voice of a woman answered, with just the right amount of an airy tone. “Thank you for calling. Who am I speaking with?” 

They both hesitated for a minute before Axel furiously waved at Demyx, mouthing ‘it’s your phone.’ 

“Uh, Demyx?” 

Axel nearly cracked up at the question in Demyx’s tone. ‘Shouldn’t she already know this?’ he mouthed again. 

‘Shut up,’ Demyx mouthed back. 

“Yes, Demyx. Let me see…” There was a pause, almost a whisper of a breath. “You wish for a change. There is great potential within you. You can take that anywhere. Your dreams are within reach, you’ve just got to apply yourself.” 

Demyx was scrawling notes. Axel rolled his eyes, draining his glass before laying back down on the floor. “Come on now. I could’ve said that much.” 

“Things are a little vague, but I believe there is… a person you are interested in. You wish to know if this person likes you?” the psychic continued.

“Yes!” Demyx bit. Axel snorted a laugh. Of course, Demyx would. 

“I’m sensing… their name is somewhere at the end of the alphabet.” 

“Axel! She’s talking about Zexion. She has to be!” 

Axel was wondering just when he’d roll his eyes from his head. 

“Zexion. Yes,” The psychic continued. “They’re very dear to you, aren’t they?” 

“Yes. Yes, he is!” Demyx flashed Axel a thumbs up.

“Help me out here, it’s vague… but I believe you have a career in the arts?” 

“I’m a musician!” 

“Fuck sake, Dem…” Axel groaned, pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes. “Stop giving everything away.” 

“Yes, I see it now. You should spend more time with him. Perhaps invite him over for dinner? Or perhaps play him a song or two. He will surely show his interest in you then.” 

“He will? Oh, this is the best. I’ve got a song I wrote for him… should I play that?” 

“Not the first time he comes over. But the second.” 

Axel zoned out for the rest of the call, getting up to go fill his glass and laugh at how giddy Demyx was. He didn’t realize just how much he’d given away. 

By the time Axel returned and sat on the edge of the couch, Demyx had gotten off the call and was laughing. 

“Do you think they have a script to follow? Like, that was almost impressive.” 

“Here I thought you were falling for that bullshit.” 

“Ok, look.” Demyx waved his phone at Axel. “I may be stupid sometimes, but I’m not an idiot.” 

They broke into drunken giggles, spending a while trying to get the mystic quality of the woman’s voice into their own and failing spectacularly. 

“I think I need to hear that again. Your turn, Ax.” 

“Fine, fine. But if they say anything about love, I’m hanging up.” Axel punched in the number from Demyx’s phone into his own and dropped it, on speaker, on the table. 

“Hello,” a different voice answered, a guy this time, lacking almost completely in the mystic aspect. The person on the other end sounded almost like a bored college student. “Thank you for calling. Who am I speaking with?”

“Can’t you tell me that?” Axel grinned, swigging his drink. 

“I’m sorry, sir. The spirits don’t work that way. You don’t have to tell me your name if you don’t wish.” 

“Cool, so whatcha got for me, psychic boy?” 

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t patronize me, sir. I’m doing my…” the guy trailed off. 

Axel and Demyx stared at the phone for a long minute. 

“Well, that’s one way to get your money…” Axel muttered, reaching for his phone to disconnect the call. There was a sharp intake of breath from the other end. 

“Listen to me carefully,” the guy spoke suddenly, sounding almost pained. “Set an alarm on your watch for 3:37 PM on the twenty-fifth. Of this month.” 

There was a pause and the sound of Demyx writing filled the silence. 

“Are you still listening?” the guy asked.

“Yes?” Axel raised an eyebrow at Demyx who just shrugged, pencil poised over the paper as they waited. 

“Good. When that alarm goes off, stop and turn it off. You _have_ to stop. Completely. I don’t care how long your legs are. That alarm goes off. You stop. Ok?” 

How long his legs were? “Ok?” Axel shook his head. This was getting weird. 

“I want you to set that alarm to remind you to stand in place for exactly two minutes and fifteen seconds from the moment you open the stopwatch app on your phone. Once that time is up, start walking at your normal pace. Following me so far?” 

“I… am? Why am I doing this?” 

“Because by the time you reach the corner, there will be an explosion in the abandoned building you passed. It will blow out the windows, sending glass into the street.” 

“Are you serious?” both Demyx and Axel chorused. 

“Dead serious. Look, guy. Whatever you do, don’t be a hero. Everyone will be fine. There will only be mild injuries if you do as I say. Ok?” 

“Sure?” 

“Promise me.” The guy on the line sounded almost out of breath now. 

“But…” 

“Promise me, guy.” 

“I promise?” Axel was sitting up now, half leaning over the phone on the table. 

“Good. I need to go rest now. Thank you for calling.” 

The phone disconnected, and Axel looked up at Demyx. They were both wide-eyed, staring at each other before looking down at the notepad. 

“Well.” Demyx slid it across the table to Axel. “That was different. So much for the script theory. What are you doing? Are you actually putting an alarm on your watch?” 

“May as well?” Axel typed out the memo, setting it as an alarm and sending it to his watch. “Worst that happens is I feel stupid for…” he squinted at the paper. “Two minutes and fifteen seconds.” 

“Fair enough. Now, go grab the bottle. We’ve got two more movies to get through tonight.” 

  
  


The rest of the month passed by quickly. Axel went about his life, forgetting about the alarm set on his watch.

Until he was walking down the street on the twenty-fifth. He was headed back to work after grabbing food and coffee when his wrist started buzzing. He brought the watch up, staring at the bolded **Stop**. And so he did, coming to a complete halt and opening the notification. He read the note about getting his phone out and shook his head. Why would he do that? But the memory of the worried voice from the phone had him digging it out, following instructions and watching the seconds tick up on the stopwatch. 

And then, two minutes fifteen seconds reached, he took off at his normal stride. He gave a glance to the empty storefront as he passed, eyeing the giant plate glass display windows. His gaze fell to a woman and a small child, walking in the opposite direction and nearly hesitated, wanting to warn them. Instead, he gritted his teeth and kept walking. 

“Don’t be a hero, Axel,” he muttered to himself. His feet touched the bright paint indicating the crosswalk on the corner. 

An explosion ripped through the air, rattling Axel’s bones. He whirled, catching the fireball. Glass tinkled down in a rain on the sidewalk. A scattering of people stood nearby, some clutching at small wounds. 

Axel tried to take a step back and nearly tripped. His coffee went tumbling from his hand, spilling onto the sidewalk, splashing onto the edge of an untied shoelace. He looked from it to the flames licking up the storefront, to the glass on the sidewalk. He blinked. 

Would his shoelace have come untied in front of the store? Would he have stopped to tie it? He would have been right there. He could have been hurt… He could have _died_.

The psychic _had_ said he was dead serious. 

By the time he made it back to work and stilled the shaking in his hands enough to pull his phone out, he had a couple of missed messages from Demyx asking how his psychic prediction went. His hands were still shaking bad enough that he couldn’t get a message typed out so he just called. 

“Hey, good to see you’re not dead or anything. How'd the psychic boy’s prediction go?” 

“The fucking building blew up, Demyx,” he nearly shouted the words, receiving looks from his coworkers. “If I hadn’t stopped… if I didn’t wait. My shoelace came untied Dem. I would have stopped to tie it. Probably right in front of that store… and…” 

“You’d probably have been caught in the explosion. But that doesn’t mean it was thanks to the guy…” 

“Then how else do you explain it?” 

“Well shit. We found the one guy that seems to be a psychic.” 

Axel called and called that night until the familiar voice came on the phone.

“Thank you for calling. Who am I speaking with?”

“Hey, uh. It’s me?” 

“Hello, me.” The guy sounded amused. “What are you looking for tonight? I can see if the spirits will help.” 

“Look, it’s just… I don’t want anything,” Axel paused, taking a long drink of the whiskey in his glass. “I just wanted to say that you were right and that you probably saved my life.” 

“I’m usually right,” the guy chuckled. “What did I get right this time?” 

“The exploding building? You told me to not be a hero?” 

“Oh shit,” the guy’s half mystic voice broke. “So you’re ok?” 

“Yeah, not a scratch on me. Thanks.” 

“I’m glad I could help. It’s a relief to know you’re alright.” 

“Yeah… thanks,” Axel stupidly thanked him again. 

They sat in silence for a minute. Axel slid his glass back and forth on the table. “So, I guess I should let you get back to it. Thanks again.” 

“Feel free to call anytime.” 

Axel gawked at his phone for a long moment before he came to his senses. “How the hell am I supposed to do that when I don’t know who you are?” 

But there was no answer. The call had been disconnected long ago. 

* * *

Axel had just about forgotten about the psychic guy in the month that passed before, on his way home from work, a hand caught his arm, tiny fingers curling above the crook of his elbow. 

They pulled Axel to a stop, and he looked around, but the person stood behind him. 

“You’re going to a party this weekend,” the voice spoke quietly and quickly. “You shouldn’t go, but I know you will. Leave before 11:47. The cops will show up just before midnight and there will be a drug bust. If you stay you’ll be arrested. Ok?” 

“But, I don’t do drugs?” Axel tried to turn, but they stayed behind him.

“Look, I don’t give a shit what you do or don’t do. Just listen to what I'm saying.” 

“You’re… that phone psychic, aren’t you?” Axel wasn’t a hundred percent sure. Voices always sounded different over the phone. Especially when they were trying to be mystical. 

“Yes. So listen to me, ok. Do you promise me you’ll leave before I said?” 

“I promise.” 

That weekend, Axel did in fact go to the party. And as he watched from the couch, he couldn’t help but notice the pills that were passed around. How had he not noticed before? 

Late that night, the alarm on both his phone and his watch went off at the same time and Axel rose from the couch, snuffing out his cigarette. He found Demyx sitting in a part of a circle on the floor. 

“Demyx, listen to me. We have to go.” Axel tugged on Demyx’s arm, trying to yank him away from the game of truth or dare he was engrossed in. 

“Is this about your psychic boy? Are you really going to believe him?” Demyx scrambled to his feet, muttering his apologies to the group. 

“He was right the last time. Look, if he’s wrong, I’ll make it up to you. I’ll buy the next bottle. Let’s just go.” 

“Who am I to turn down free booze.” 

They made it back into the city and from the back of the uber, they watched at least four cop cars go screaming by, in the direction they’d come from, lights on, sirens wailing away. 

Demyx passed it off as a coincidence, but days later, Axel ran across the article on the internet. 

_Local drug bust leads to several arrests._ And there under the title was a picture of the house in the woods they’d been at that night. 

* * *

The hand caught his arm weeks later. 

“Change your beach plans. Book the hotel five miles to the south end. Sharks. Call when you get home. Try not to forget.” 

He was gone before Axel could turn, but he thought he saw a short person with blond hair, weaving away through the crowds. Was that him? He shrugged, heading on to work. 

He nearly had forgotten the guy’s words until Demyx asked about the trip once he got home. 

“Shit. Change of plans.” Axel dropped onto the couch, pulling up his map and locating the specified hotel. 

Demyx watched in confusion as he called and made reservations and then called the first hotel and canceled. 

“What the hell, man? We made those almost a year ago.”

“Psychic boy found me today.” 

“And told you to change reservations? To where?” 

Axel told him the name and Demyx wheezed. 

“You got the reservation? How? That hotel books out years in advance!” 

“Guess I’ve got a little supernatural power on my side.” 

“I keep trying to tell you he’s just been lucky so far.”

“Then how do you explain all of this?” 

Demyx didn’t have an answer. 

The trip passed uneventfully, but the last day Axel had the urge to check and found a scattering of articles about shark attacks… right in front of the hotel that they were supposed to have stayed at. 

He went and nearly slammed his phone down in front of Demyx. 

“Look. That could have been us, Dem.” 

“Lucky guess?”

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” 

“What happened to ‘psychics are bullshit?’”

“I had one save my life.” 

* * *

It was another few weeks before Axel heard the voice again.

“You there. The tall redheaded guy. Wait. Please.” 

Axel froze on the sidewalk and waited. Sure enough, a tiny hand wrapped around his arm. This time, though, it clutched tight. 

“What do you have for me this time, psychic boy?” 

“You’re going to die,” the guy wheezed out, half gasping for breath. “If you don’t listen to me… you’re going to die. You and maybe your friend.” 

“Which one?” 

“The dirty blond that plays the sitar.” 

“How did you..?”

“Listen to me. Please.” 

“I’m listening.” 

“You’re going out to a bar tomorrow night. It’s his birthday. You’re both going to get drunk and he’s going to want to drive.” The fingers clutched to him tighter. “If you get in that car with him… you will both die. If you get into a cab with him… you will die.” 

A forehead pressed into the space between Axel’s shoulder blades. Axel tried to turn, but the guy just turned with him. 

“You have to listen to me. He’ll be there with his friend… no, his boyfriend. Leave early. Catch your own cab. He’ll live if you catch a cab by yourself.” 

“What?” 

“Promise me you won’t get in that car.” 

“Why would I get in a car with a drunk guy?” 

“Because you’ll be drunk as well, and he’s your best friend. Do you promise?” 

“But I…” 

“Promise me!” the guy shouted, forehead pressing into Axel’s back. “I don’t want you to die.” 

“Ok, ok. I promise. No getting in a car with a drunk driver.” He could feel the warmth of the guy’s breath through his shirt when he sighed in relief. 

“Thank you.” And then he was gone again, blond hair bobbing off through the crowds. 

“Dem, I’mma head home.” 

“But it’s only midnight, Ax.” Demyx had his arm slung around Zexion’s shoulders. “Night’s still young.” 

Axel stared down at his phone, at the notification from the alarm he’d set. 

_Go the fuck home before you die._

“I guess I drank too much. I’m not feeling well?” It was hard to make excuses when drunk. He didn’t know why he needed to leave so badly, but the word ‘die’ staring at him was pretty damn convincing. 

“M’kay. Stay safe.” 

The next morning he found a slew of messages from Zexion on his phone. It started with: 

_1:47 AM: We got in an accident on our way home._

_1:47 AM: A drunk driver t-boned the passenger side of the cab._

_2:15 AM: They took Demyx to the hospital, just to be safe._

_3:42 AM: Demyx is fine, just a little banged up. I’m fine, I was on the driver’s side, Demyx was in the middle._

_3:45 AM: Demyx wants me to say he’s glad you got your own ride home and that if you’d been in the backseat with us, you probably would have been dead._

Looked like he owed his life to the psychic boy yet again.   
  


Once Demyx was back in the apartment they stayed up late, trying to get ahold of the psychic again. They were just about to give up when on the next call he answered. 

“Thank you for calling. Who am I speaking to?” 

“It’s me again, I wanted—” Axel started, but the guy interrupted. 

“Hello, Red. You have no idea how good it is to hear from you.” 

“Red?” Demyx chimed in.

“Yes. Your friend is a redhead. Green eyes. Six foot stupid tall.” 

“And me?” 

“Blond. Tall. You play the sitar.” 

“You _told_ him about me?” Demyx slapped Axel’s arm. 

“Red didn’t tell me anything. But it’s good to hear that you’re both still alive.” 

Axel clapped a hand over Demyx’s mouth before he could speak again. “Yeah, thanks again. I feel like I need to buy you a drink or six.” 

“That you do,” the guy chuckled. “I swear, Red. It’s like your number is up or something. It’s such a hassle to keep you alive. I have to thank you for listening, I suppose.” There was a long pause on the line. “Did you call just to tell me thanks again?” 

Demyx yanked Axel’s hand away shouting “We want another prediction.” 

“It doesn’t exactly work like that,” the guy grumbled, sounding annoyed. 

“What? Do the spirits have to be properly aligned or some bull?” 

“Demyx. Be nice. I’m sure he’s trying.” Axel rolled his eyes. 

There was another long pause on the line, and they sat there waiting. Demyx was almost on the edge of his seat. 

“You two are thinking about… having a party this weekend?” 

“Well, yeah?” Demyx rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing. 

“Don’t. Move it to next Friday.” 

“Why?” 

“There are some characters that would cause trouble for you two. They can’t come the following Friday.” 

“Would you be interested in coming?” Axel spoke without thinking.

Demyx looked at Axel like he'd sprouted a second head. 

The guy started laughing. “You don’t even know who I am.” 

“Well, you seem to know us, so let’s change that!” Demyx shot a grin at Axel. “Come party with us, psychic boy. When else are we going to meet you?” 

“Look, I’d rather not. I’m not one for—oh.” 

“What?” Both Demyx and Axel echoed each other, but the guy didn’t speak for another minute. 

“We’ll meet when the timing is right,” the guy whispered, and then the line disconnected.

  
  


The party was rescheduled and went flawlessly. But as far as Axel knew, everyone they’d originally invited had shown up. 

Axel doubted the psychic boy just a little. Maybe Demyx _had_ been right, and he’d just been lucky this far. Then again, they’d called him, forced him into giving a prediction. Except for the first time, the guy had always found him. 

Whatever. If the guy had another vision of Axel’s impending doom, then surely he would come to find Axel again.


	2. Psychic Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter in which Axel earns his 'is basically an idiot' tag. :)

Axel was speeding along on his bike, enjoying the early fall air against what little skin he let show through his gear. He hadn’t heard from psychic boy in a couple of months and figured that maybe his number wasn’t up anymore. He’d nearly left off his leather jacket, but years of ingrained safety rules had him turning back for it at the last minute. 

One moment he’d been cruising through the intersection and the next he was waking up on the pavement with faces surrounding him. A paramedic helped him to sit up, asking him what seems like dozens of questions as someone handed his helmet back to him. Someone else wheeled his bike over, and Axel was relieved to see that it had only gotten scratched up a bit. 

The paramedic gave him another once over, prodding at the back of his head. But thankfully, since Axel had been wearing his helmet, the worst he would be was sore and bruised. 

He sat there on the sidewalk after everyone left, shopping from his phone as he waited for Demyx to pick him up. After what had happened, he knew he'd have to buy a new helmet first. He didn’t want to ride with a helmet that had been in an accident. He needed a new leather jacket as well. One shoulder on his current one had nearly worn clear through. 

The longer he sat there, the angrier he got. Where the hell had psychic boy been? Why hadn’t he warned Axel? He sighed, wheeling his bike over to Demyx’s hatchback as he pulled up. He spent the first five minutes swatting away Demyx’s hands. 

“Come on… I’m fine. Just annoyed and already getting sore.” 

“Annoyed? Come on, man. Accidents happen. From what you told me, it wasn’t your fault.” 

They worked on getting the bike strapped in, tying it and the door down. 

“I’m not annoyed at the accident. Shit happens and I’m ok. I’m just…” he sighed. “I’m annoyed at psychic boy. Like, why the hell didn’t he warn me?” 

“I thought you were convinced that he’d just been lucky.” 

“Maybe. Just…” 

“Axel. Your guardian angel isn’t an angel. He’s human like the rest of us. As you said, shit happens. Cut the kid some slack.” 

Axel couldn’t get the annoyance out of his mind. A few days later was walking to the store, when small fingers curled around his bicep, pulling him to a stop. 

“You’ve got dinner plans with a friend…” 

“Yeah, sure,” Axel muttered and then whirled, grabbing a hold of a slim wrist. 

He gazed into nothingness for a moment before looking down. Blue eyes—the vibrant shade of cobalt, his brain helpfully provided—were wide as they looked up at him. There was that familiar head of blond hair. Like his small hands, the rest of him was tiny. He barely reached Axel’s collarbones in height, the spikes of his hair adding another couple of inches. He looked like a fresh college kid, maybe eighteen or nineteen. Axel opened his mouth to tell him off, but what he meant to say was not what came out. 

“You don’t look like a psychic.” 

The guy raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth turning up with amusement. “And you don’t look like a walking death trap.” He shook his head. “Look, your dinner plans. With the blue-haired guy. Don’t go to the pizza place on Main like you planned. Not unless you both want a case of food poisoning. I’d recommend the one over on the corner of Ash and Oak.” 

Axel barely registered the warning before he blurted, “Why didn’t you warn me I’d get into an accident?” 

“You were in an accident? Holy shit. Are you ok?” 

“A little banged up, but fine. Why didn’t you tell me?” 

"I didn't see it." The guy looked down at the ground. "I’m not magic, I don’t see everything.” 

“What? You don’t just—You can’t see—” Axel wasn’t entirely sure what he was trying to say. “I figured you’d see something bad like that. Just what kind of psychic do you think you are?” 

The guy shrugged. “You’re the guy who’s expecting things from a phone psychic. It’s not how—” 

“The spirits work. I get it.” Axel couldn’t help but roll his eyes. 

“No, that’s not how my vi—” The guy froze, eyes going wide. His hand shot out, grabbing ahold of Axel’s arm again and squeezing. 

Axel watched as blue eyes went almost white. It was as if he was staring through Axel. He bent down, grabbing onto the guy’s arms and shaking him gently. “Hey. Hey kid… are you ok?” 

The guy sucked in a deep breath and his eyes faded back to blue. 

“Did you have a vision? What did you see?” 

“I just—” The guy’s face was turning a deep red, and he looked down at his feet as he stammered, “Well, it’s—Maybe just—”

Axel leaned back, letting go of the guy’s arms. “Just what?” 

“Do… Do you want to go get coffee sometime? Maybe next Tuesday?”

“Uh, what?” 

“Coffee. Next Tuesday. You and me? What part of that didn’t you get?” The guy chuckled. A hand went through the back of his hair, fluffing it out. 

“Is something supposed to happen to me Tuesday?” 

“It’s a possibility. But you _should_ be fine if you say no.” 

“I mean… I guess you’ve never steered me wrong? So, why not?” 

“Great,” the guy grinned up. “I’ll see you then. Don’t forget about your dinner. Ash and Oak.” 

Axel watched as the guy turned and wove away through the crowded sidewalk. 

It wasn’t until he had turned the corner that Axel realized that the guy hadn’t said who he was, given him a number, or even told him which one of the twenty-six coffee shops scattered around the city they were supposed to meet at. 

“What the hell do I do, Demyx?” 

“Are you honestly afraid the psychic boy will get upset when you don’t show up? You’re not the psychic one. And I’m not about to go broke calling until we find him again.” 

“But…”

“Look, I’m sure he’ll find you like he always seems to.” 

Come Tuesday, Axel _may_ have been moping a little. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be out letting your hot date find you?” Demyx pushed the door closed behind him, dumping the groceries on the counter.

“It’s not a date.” 

“You can’t tell me you don't like him. You haven’t shut up about him for almost a week.” Demyx’s voice took on an almost dreamy tone. “What with his blond hair and his sky blue—”

“Not sky blue. I’d say they’re more cerulean. Maybe cobalt?” Axel interrupted, waving an arm from the couch.

“My point exactly. What guy knows those color names? For eyes!” 

“What if I don’t feel like going out?” 

Demyx pinched the bridge of his nose. “I am not about to listen to you whine for the rest of the day. Go walk around the park or something. Get some fresh air.” 

“Fine,” Axel rolled off the couch, stopping to put on his shoes. 

Demyx pressed a handful of envelopes into his hands. “Run by the mailbox on your way, ok?” 

Axel was nearly shoved out the door with a cheerful ‘enjoy your date!’ 

Letters dropped off, Axel headed towards the park. “Enjoy your date…” Axel grumbled, staring down at his phone as he walked. “It’s not a stupid date. It’s coffee. _If_ the guy even finds me.” 

A hand caught his arm, yanking him back with force. He turned back to find the guy standing there wide-eyed. Something crashed to the ground behind Axel seconds later, pelting them both with tiny debris. He slowly turned back, eyes going to the sidewalk where a small sign laid, broken into dozens of tiny pieces. He looked up at the wall from where it had fallen, back to the spot… where he should have been. 

“Jesus.” Axel staggered back, bumping into the guy. He turned and grabbed his shoulders, shaking him lightly. “That was supposed to hit me.” 

The guy’s shoulders slumped over, relief spreading across his face. “I swear. I have never seen anyone more accident-prone. Sometimes I worry that I’m going to miss the one thing that actually kills you.” 

“You… do?” 

“Yes? Come on, let’s get inside before something else tries to off you.”

Axel was pulled into a tiny cafe that he didn’t even know existed, and he supposed that made this coffee shop number twenty-seven. 

They sat, drinking their coffee in awkward silence at first. Axel watched the guy’s—Roxas’s—eyes glaze over, turning a pale blue for a long stretch. They faded back, and then Roxas asked about the band Axel was going to see in a few days. 

That got them talking and laughing. Before long they were chatting like they were old friends. And eventually, Axel got brave—maybe a little curious—and asked for more detail on how Roxas’s visions work. 

Roxas’s eyebrows furrowed down, and he swept his fringe back from his eyes for a moment before sighing. “Look, I’m still not exactly sure how it happens. It’s pretty spotty. I’ve never seen as much about one person than I’ve seen of you,” he muttered, staring down into his coffee cup. “But the visions kind of… come and go? Like I’ll have several within one week and then none for a month. It’s never bothered me before, but then I started seeing you.” 

“I swear, you’re like a guardian angel or something.” 

“Hardly,” Roxas shook his head. “I just hope you find one before my visions stop. I’ve been seeing you in them for so long that I’d hate for something to happen to you.” His face went pink, and he quickly picked up his mug, holding it in front of his face. “Sorry, that was a bit much.” 

“No worries,” Axel waved a hand. “Just… I’ve been wondering. If you’re an actual psychic, then why are you working as a fake?” 

Roxas laughed, lowering his mug back to the table. “I _just_ told you I can’t control my visions. I’m good at faking it, though. You two didn’t hesitate to believe me when I made that fake prediction. I mostly predict general doom and misfortune. People eat that shit up. And if nothing bad happens, they’re at least more careful.”

“But why a cheesy phone psychic?” 

“Dude. I’m a better conman than a psychic, and I’m _actually_ a psychic! Besides, it pays for college and I can set my hours.” 

“That’s fair,” Axel laughed. “Man, it’s a shame that it took us this long to talk.” 

“And all it took was a few near-death experiences,” Roxas lamented before smiling, folding his fingers under his chin. “Could I interest you in doing this again?”

“Do I have to almost die?” 

“Not at all. In fact, I would prefer if you didn’t,” Roxas grinned before holding out his hand. “Give me your phone and I’ll give you my personal number. That way you don't have to call the hotline every time you want to talk to me, and I can text you whenever I have a vision… if that’s ok?” 

“Of course,” Axel handed his phone over, watching as Roxas typed in his number with a grin. “And you can text when you want to meet up again.” 

“I feel like that takes away half the fun.” Roxas handed the phone back with a cheeky grin. “But if I don’t have a vision ahead of time, I will.” He pushed up from the table, tucking a bit of money under his cup. “I’ll see you later, Axel. I’ve got to get home for work.” 

“See ya, Roxas.” 

“And please be carefu—” Roxas went still, eyes going hazy. He shook his head, taking a deep breath. “You should consider going the long way home.” 

He was gone before Axel could ask why. 

He didn’t pay much mind and walked home the usual way. About halfway there he lunged out of the way of an enormous dog barking loudly at a woman pushing a stroller. His foot caught the edge of a display stand and down he went. His reward for not listening to Roxas was a banged-up elbow and a large scrape down his arm. 

And that was the last time he didn’t listen.

Sure enough, a few days after their first hangout, a familiar voice shouted, “Hey.” 

Axel stopped before the hand even wrapped around his arm. He turned to find Roxas grinning up at him.

“Let’s go get lunch.” 

“I was just on my way. How did you…” Axel trailed off with a laugh. “Right. Psychic boy.” 

Axel found that the more he talked with Roxas, the more he liked the guy, the more he wanted to hang out. 

Roxas caught him several more times, dragging him off for coffee or lunch. There had been a couple of times that Roxas’s eyes went white or hazy. But whenever Axel would ask what he saw, Roxas would wave him off, saying that it wasn’t anything that would hurt him. That, or it wasn’t about him. 

Over time Roxas’s visions seemed to taper off and Axel didn’t seem to have any more near-death experiences, just the usual bangs and bruises typical of life. Now that they knew each other, their texts slowed. The times when Roxas seemed to come find him were further and further apart until nearly two weeks had gone by that they didn’t speak with each other. 

Axel didn’t realize how much he’d been moping around until...

“For God’s sake, Axel. Just text the guy already!” Demyx threw his hands into the air, glaring over from the couch as Axel paced the kitchen. “I’m so sick of hearing Roxas this and Roxas that. If you love the guy so much, text him!” 

“I don’t love him,” Axel grumbled, stalking over to grab his phone from the counter. He was halfway through his text when his phone buzzed. 

_I’d be happy to hang out._

_It’s really weird how you do that._ Axel chuckled, watching the dots pop up. 

_I hope you don’t mind though. Sorry for not talking much. Finals have been kicking my ass._

_Sometimes I forget you’re a college student._ His thumbs hesitated over the keyboard before he typed out: _Would you be interested in getting dinner sometime?_ He held his breath and hit send, going back to pacing the kitchen as he waited. 

“Don’t love him, my ass…” Demyx muttered with a chuckle, turning back to the tv. 

Roxas’s reply came back a minute later. _I’d love to._

Axel swore his heart tried to leap out of his throat. And ok, maybe there _was_ something to what Demyx said. 

He spun up a quick plan, dinner at that pizza place that Roxas had mentioned to him ages ago, maybe a movie afterward if it was still early enough. He sent that off and waited, chewing on a nail as he continued to pace. 

_That sounds nice, but…_

_Wear something you’d wear to a nice restaurant._

Axel chuckled, leaning down against the counter. _You know something I don’t._

_Maybe. :)_

Axel lamented for a half-hour trying to get his hair just right. Demyx laid on Axel’s bed as he spent the next hour trying to find the perfect outfit while Demyx laughed his ass off. He wound up in an outfit of all black, tugging at the collar of his dress shirt while Demyx made sure that he had all the lint brushed off the slacks. 

“Are you sure I look ok?” 

“For the hundredth time. Yes. Roxas is gonna have his socks blown off.” 

"What if he's not wearing socks?" 

Demyx pinched the bridge of his nose with a drawn-out sigh. “You’re impossible.”

He found Roxas standing by the entrance of the pizza place. Upon Axel’s approach, Roxas held out a hand, gesturing to the sign hanging on the door. 

_Closed for cleaning._

_Regular hours will resume tomorrow._

Axel shook his head. “You know, we could have rescheduled for tomo—” He looked down at Roxas and froze, mouth hanging open. 

Like him, Roxas was in black slacks, but his shirt was a deep blue. ‘Ultramarine,’ his brain kindly provided. It made Roxas’s eyes stand out. And just… the way he was smiling up at Axel had his heart thundering in his chest. 

“I may have gone ahead and made other plans. I hope you don’t mind. You were the one that asked me out, originally.” 

“No.” Axel couldn’t stop staring. “That’s ok.” 

They wound up at a nice restaurant, complete with romantic candlelight. If it hadn’t been a date before, it definitely was now.

Roxas talked about how finals had gone, complaining about all the studying he’d had to do. Axel talked about work and then mentioned how Demyx had been on him to message Roxas. 

They talked and laughed throughout dinner, and Axel found himself completely entranced by Roxas. Then, as they stood out front of the restaurant, he leaned down, tipping Roxas’s head up, watching as his eyes fluttered closed before Axel kissed him. 

Roxas’s eyes stayed closed after Axel pulled away, and he smiled softly, touching fingers to his lips. “I have been waiting for you to do that since I saw the vision months ago.” 

Axel froze. “You knew I would do that? You knew...” He didn’t know why he was so upset. He'd had no problem with anything Roxas had seen so far, so why did this bother him? “Did you just manipulate me into this?” 

“No, of course not! Axel, you know I can’t help what I see. I don't choose them.” 

“Well, you could have told me. I could have made my own choices. I could have done what I wanted. Not what you saw.” 

“What? You think I made you kiss me?” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I think you did.” Axel threw his hands in the air. “I can’t do this.” He turned and stormed off, ignoring Roxas calling after him, shaking off his hand when it caught his elbow. 

“Axel. I’m sorry, but it’s not what you’re thinking.” 

“Save it, psychic boy.” 

Axel refused to talk to Roxas after their date. Roxas never approached him again, sending any warnings through text. Whenever he’d try to apologize to Axel, he’d wait for the messages to stop and then delete them all. 

“Jesus, Axel. You’re being a moron. You’d throw the best thing you’ve had… almost had? I don’t know anymore. Either way, you’d throw it away over a misunderstanding?” 

“Look, Dem.” Axel pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ve done this a hundred times. He manipulated me. Like. How do I know any of my feelings were real?” 

“Just…” Demyx sighed. “You know what. Forget it. Just keep right on being miserable.” 

“Maybe I will.” 

Roxas’s texts became sparse, tapering off to near nothing. Axel hated to admit just how much he missed Roxas but continued to stubbornly not reply. 

Demyx and he were having their usual movie night when Demyx made the suggestion. 

“Hey, why don’t we call the hotline. See what your little psychic is up to. You haven’t talked about him lately.” 

“Fuck him,” Axel muttered, staring up at the ceiling. 

“Come on, Ax. You can’t stay mad at him forever. I know you still like him. We can call and you can apolo—” 

“I said fuck him,” Axel shot to his feet. “I don’t ever want to see or talk to him again.” He stormed over to the door, grabbing his keys from the counter. “I’m going out for a drive. I’ll be back later.” 

“Take your helmet!” Demyx shouted after him. 

“Yes, mom.” Axel rolled his eyes, but stomped back over to his helmet, grabbing it from where it hung on the closet door. He slammed the door behind him, leaving Demyx sighing. 

Axel’s phone buzzed where it had been left sitting on the counter. Demyx went and grabbed it up. He read through the text and dropped the phone back on the counter and took off running out the door, leaving the message open on the screen. 

_ I know you’re going out on your bike. Avoid Fifth. There’s going to be an accident. You’ll be in the middle. Please be careful.  _

Axel sped through the city streets, glad that rush hour was over. He thought he’d caught a glimpse of Demyx trying to catch his attention, but he was already moving, speeding away. Knowing Demyx, he’d just wanted to apologize. 

The streets were mostly empty, and Axel was lost in his thoughts. 

The last thing that he remembered was the blaring of a horn, the bright headlights bearing down on him, and then the sickening crunch of metal hitting metal, of becoming airborne. 


	3. A Full Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *added a tag for a hospital stay  
> this chapter wound up a little shorter, a lot sweeter

The beeping wouldn’t stop. Why wouldn’t it stop? Axel stretched a hand out, intending to shut off the noise that had to be his alarm. But his hand slapped down onto a rail, setting it rattling. He lifted his arm again and groaned, letting it drop back onto his chest. It hurt. Everything hurt. Why did everything hurt? 

He opened his eyes, staring up at the white tiled ceiling. The beeping still hadn't stopped. He turned his head slowly, towards the sound, watching a line dance up and down on tiny screen. Judging by the fact that the throbbing of his body appeared to sync up, it had to be his heart rate scrolling across. Huh. 

Shit. His bike. He tried to push himself up. Pain shot through his ribs. 

“Hey, hey. Whoa.”

Two small hands came down on Axel’s shoulders, gently pushing him back onto the bed. 

“Take it easy, Axel.” 

Axel looked over, finding familiar blue eyes staring down at him. His brain was too hazy, his body hurting too much to think of anything but blue. But he only knew one person with eyes that shade. “Roxas?” 

Roxas’s hand slid into his. 

“I’m in the hospital?” 

“Yeah, you were in a bad accident. No broken bones, but there was some internal bleeding and a lot of bruising. I’ve been here since Demyx called me. They've been nice enough to let me sit with you.” 

“They let you in? You’re not family.” 

“About that…” Roxas ruffled up the back of his hair, eyes shifting to the floor. “They didn't seem super picky, but I may have told them I was your fiance just in case.” 

“Silly.” Axel chuckled, immediately regretting it when it made his ribs hurt. He squeezed his eyes shut and Roxas’s small hand smoothed across his brow.

“You’re hurting. Let me get a nurse.” Roxas gave his hand another squeeze before stepping out. 

Axel reached out, taking Roxas’s hand again when he returned with the nurse. They waited in silence as she injected something into his IV and told Roxas to call if they needed anything else. 

The door closed behind her, and Axel turned back to Roxas. “Why didn’t you warn me? Did you not see it?” 

“I did.” Roxas squeezed his hand again. “But it came on suddenly. I tried to text you the minute I had my sight back. Demyx told me later that you’d left your phone behind.” 

“Oh,” Axel muttered. The aches and pains were already fading, and he relaxed back into the pillows, trying to return Roxas’s squeeze. “Well, thanks for trying.” 

“I’m just glad you’re ok.” Roxas’s laugh sounded pained. “Well, I know you’re not ok. But you’re still here.” 

Axel closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of the medicine flowing into his system, the warmth of Roxas’s words, and the warmth of the hand in his. 

They stayed silent for a long while. Axel listened to the steady beeps until he was nearly asleep. 

“I’m sorry, Axel. For everything. I didn’t mean to make you think you didn’t have free will, or that I was manipulating you. I’ve lived with visions all my life and before you, I never really saw anyone more than once, so I never really had to think of how others would take them long term.” Roxas rested his head on their joined hands. “I’m sorry. I can’t stop having them, and I know they’ll probably always leave you thinking you don’t have a choice in things.” He sounded almost like he was crying now. “I just wanted to see you one more time and apologize. I wanted to make sure you were really alive. But I’ll leave you alone, now.” He leaned down, brushing a kiss to Axel’s forehead. “Get some sleep.” 

Axel tried to ask Roxas to stay, but all that came out was an incoherent mumble before sleep pulled him under. 

Throughout the rest of his hospital stay, he never saw Roxas again. They talked a little through text once Axel moved to a normal room, but most of the time Axel wasn’t in a state to hold a conversation. 

Towards the tail end of his rest at home, at the end of his run of heavy pain medicine, he started thinking more, talking with Demyx. All leading up to the day where it finally seemed to click.

“Fuck, Dem. I’ve been an idiot.” Axel rolled onto his back, reaching over and pressing a pillow to his face. 

“I mean, yes. But why this time?” Demyx wandered around Axel’s room, gathering up the dishes and dirty laundry. 

“You don’t have to do that. I’m feeling a lot better.” Axel waved a hand, throwing his feet off the bed and sitting up to demonstrate. “Here, let me carry something.” 

“I don’t mind helping. Quit changing the subject. What have you been an idiot about?” 

“Roxas.” Axel followed Demyx into the kitchen, carrying the dishes. 

Demyx dropped the laundry basket off by the washer and waved at the couch. “Sit down. It’s about damn time we had this talk. So what about Roxas?” 

“He didn’t force me into anything.” Axel sank back onto the couch and groaned. The bruises had mostly faded at that point, but the aches lingered.

“Thank God you’ve finally gotten that through your thick skull. So,” Demyx grinned over. “Why did you do what he told you to?” 

“Because… I trust Roxas. He never led me wrong before. Besides, just because Roxas told me something, didn’t mean I had to follow his instructions. I’ve always had a choice. He told me to go the long way home, and I didn’t listen. I didn’t have to change plans just because he told me to. And just because he saw me kissing him didn’t mean that I had to… that he made me...” Axel’s shoulders stiffened. “Shit. I fucked up.” 

“Text him.” 

“But what if he hates me?” 

“Ax. He stayed with you in the hospital until you woke up so he could apologize. Because he felt bad for upsetting you. Even when it was just your dumbass overreacting. Text. Him.” 

A soft smile spread across Axel’s face. “I guess you’re right.” And so he did.

_Hey. I’m sorry I was a moron. Could we meet up for coffee so I can apologize properly?_

He didn’t get a response for days, becoming increasingly stressed out, convinced that Roxas hated him. That he never wanted to see Axel again. He kept sending the periodic message, just a small little apology for bothering Roxas and a careful juggle of words to not come off desperate. 

A response finally, _finally_ came in nearly a week after he had sent the first message. 

A _‘Sorry, give me a minute’_ came through first. Followed by the dots that left Axel staring, clutching his phone in a death grip, hand almost shaking. 

_Sorry that I haven't answered until now. I’ve been out visiting family on a little vacation. They wanted to go up in the mountains, and cell service is notoriously shit. If you’re still up for it, I’d love to get coffee. Just let me know?_

Axel was typing out a response before he’d even taken a full breath. _Yes._

He hit send and then took a few deep breaths before typing out a more elaborate response. _We could meet in that cafe you first took me to? Would that be ok?_

Roxas replied minutes later. _That would be perfect. Is tomorrow ok? Say at three o’clock?_

 _Perfect._ Axel’s heart was skipping, and he nearly danced across the kitchen before dropping onto the couch. 

“Roxas?” Demyx looked over at him, eyebrow raised, an amused smile on his face. 

“Yes, we’re going out for coffee tomorrow.” 

“I hope everything goes well.” 

“Yeah, me too.” 

Roxas was there and waiting on him when he showed up at 2:45. The shirt he wore—in its gorgeous shade of turquoise—caught Axel's eye first. But when Roxas smiled as he looked up from his phone, Axel’s heart took off, and he couldn't stop staring. 

“Hi,” Roxas spoke softly as Axel approached. 

“Hey.” Axel couldn’t keep the grin off of his face. 

Roxas pushed off the wall, tipping himself forward and wrapping his arms around Axel’s waist and squeezing gently. Axel hugged back, praying that Roxas, with his ear pressed to Axel’s chest, wouldn’t hear the thundering of his heart. 

“Shall we?” Roxas grinned when he pulled away, gesturing towards the door. 

They sat down with their food and coffee, staring at the table. They were silent for a while, glancing up only to catch the other sneaking a glance. 

“I’m sorry!” they blurted at the same time, and then laughed until they were both crying, clinging to each other’s hands, fingers twining together. 

“Injured man first.” Roxas nodded at Axel. 

“I was an idiot. Thinking you were manipulating me. That the things you said made me do things. I didn’t have to do any of the things you said. But I did because I trust you.” 

“And I’m sorry that I made you feel that way in the first place.” 

“If we’re being honest here, I’m kind of glad I had you kind of guiding things along. Hell, I probably would have been too stupid to start anything.” 

“I should have told you _all_ the visions I had of you instead of picking and choosing. I promise I’ll do that in the future.” Roxas hesitated. “If we have a future.” 

“I think we just might.” Axel grinned, squeezing Roxas’s hand. “And for what it’s worth, I would probably have still kissed you that night. You were just so… so amazing. Still are.”

They moved on from serious topics. Axel asked Roxas how his vacation had gone. And they talked and talked until late into the evening. 

When they stood outside the small cafe, Roxas grabbed Axel’s hand again. “So, are we going to give this dating thing a go?” 

Axel took Roxas’s other hand and leaned down to press a soft kiss to Roxas’s lips before grinning. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me, psychic boy?” 

Roxas laughed so hard that tears welled up in his eyes. And he kissed Axel back.

* * *

Months passed, and Roxas’s visions faded to near nothing. The ones he had seemed to be unrelated to the two of them for a while. 

Axel seemed to be safe. Roxas only had to pull him back from potential self-caused injuries, like when he was staring at his phone and Roxas reached out to yank him back away from the curb, or push him to the side to avoid something he was about to trip over, and even then it seemed more instinctual than vision-based. 

But visions of Axel did slowly come back and Roxas told him everything, be it a vision about Axel kissing him, or small plans that Axel should adjust. And Axel would always listen. He started to wonder though if Roxas was making some of the kissing ones up. But he didn’t really care. Kissing Roxas would never get old.

They settled into the comforts of dating, often spending weeknights at Roxas’s small apartment, Axel usually helping with Roxas’s studies. He enjoyed the nights where he’d be watching a movie on silent, listening to Roxas do his psychic calls. Axel would chime in with quiet predictions of his own, trying to get Roxas’s mystic voice to break. Then Roxas joined in on Axel and Demyx’s movie nights. 

For their half-year anniversary, they abandoned all the silly romantic restaurants and went back to the tiny cafe. Axel would always remember how Roxas looked that evening; perfect in a shirt the exact shade of cobalt that his eyes were.

They talked over coffee and nearly gorged themselves on sweet pastries, sitting close, and feeding them to each other. Axel was proud to admit that neither of them squished cake into each other’s faces. Icing most _certainly_ did not wind up down Roxas’s cheek, and Axel most _definitely_ didn’t grab his face and lick it off, making the thankfully few patrons in the cafe shoot them weird looks. 

And afterward, they stood outside again, holding hands and chatting, neither wanting to part ways. Axel was on the fence about asking Roxas if he wanted to come over. Demyx was out for the evening and Axel, even after months of being together, was terrified of implying something that would scare Roxas off. 

They shared a few lingering kisses, and Axel was just about to ask when Roxas’s eyes went white.

Axel watched as Roxas breathed out in a sigh. He held tight to Roxas’s hands and waited. It was one of the longest visions he’d had in a while. 

Roxas sucked in a sharp breath, hands tightening around Axel’s, eyes fading back. He looked up at Axel, blinking for a moment, then his cheeks went pink, and then his entire face. He pulled his hands free, bringing them up to his face. He half twisted away, scuffing a shoe against the sidewalk. 

“Are you ok? You had a vision, right?” Axel placed his hands on Roxas's shoulders, gently turning him back. 

“Yeah…” 

“What did you see?” Axel swore the tips of Roxas’s ears went red then. 

Roxas mumbled to himself, staring down at the ground. 

“What was that?” 

“Yes, I’ll come over.” He still wasn’t looking at Axel. 

“You saw me inviting you over?” 

“No…” 

“Then… what _did_ you see?” 

Roxas looked up at him, face a deep red, a shy grin spreading. “Can I just say that I’m pretty sure I know what your bedroom looks like now?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, I'm a sucker for a cheesy ending. :)  
> Many thanks and much love to all who read this.


End file.
